I am running for re-election to the Palo Alto School Board. In my career, I have taught and worked in schools and districts around the world, collaborated with local education tech companies, and taught at Stanford's Teacher Education Program. I earned by BA in Psychology and MA in Education from New York University and my PhD in Education from Stanford University.

I live in the Evergreen Park neighborhood with my husband, three children, two dogs, and a cat. We have had children in the district for over a decade (our oldest is a 10th grader at Paly) and will remain PAUSD parents for another decade (our youngest is in 4th grade at Ohlone).

In four years as your School Board Trustee, I have led through a wide range of achievements and critical improvements to our school district. We replaced the district’s leadership, radically improved our basic operations and budgeting, addressed critical teaching and learning gaps, and began to confront serious issues of educational justice.

The COVID-19 crisis has made all of this work more important than ever as students and families struggled with the stressful and unusual circumstances of the spring semester. The role the district can play in mitigating these struggles is significant. I will continue to advocate for clear communication with families, high standards for distance learning, support for those struggling with isolation, and effective pedagogies for remote engagement, authentic learning, and content mastery.

My voice and advocacy have been strongest when students are vulnerable or underserved by our systems. During my first term, we repaired our compliance with the Office of Civil Rights, created a Title IX office, and increased education for students and staff about consent. I insisted on adding a full-time reading specialist at each of our elementary schools and amplified the crisis of dyslexia with a resolution and professional development plan to address it. I have advocated for an alignment in workload, assessments, and grading practices across courses and schools for the benefit of all students. I have been, and will continue to be, a strong voice for educational justice, resolving to address the systemic issues that are part of our community and our schools.

This is a time for experienced leadership, empathy for students and families, and renewed efforts to build systems that are rigorous, just, and equitable.

I hope you will support my re-election to our Palo Alto School Board. Thank you.

I am a graduate of Palo Alto public schools (K-12), Yale University, and Berkeley Law School. I worked as a Public Agency attorney before taking over as full-time CFO, General Manager, and owner of a small business. I am the parent of four children in PAUSD schools. 

I am running for school board because of my commitment to child development and educational equity.  I am in this race to be a voice for students. Now more than ever, during these unprecedented times, I believe an effective school board must be informed by the lived experiences of the students it serves. As a parent of four of these students, I am deeply connected to the current PAUSD community--kids, parents, teachers, staff. 

As a parent of four who also is running a business, I understand how busy people are and how much wisdom and valuable insight PAUSD is missing out on. If elected, I am committed to proactively reaching out to all stakeholders, to making myself visible and accessible. It takes time to build trust--I plan to keep showing up until I do. 

I have two decades of experience and a deep understanding of the complex interplay between mission, budget, personnel, and risk analysis that faces organizations in both the private and public sectors.   I am experienced making real-world decisions about limited funds. From my perspective, fiscal responsibility begins with clear principles and values. Budgets are ultimately policy documents, a quantification of priorities.

As a business owner, my driving ethic has been to prove that in an industry that treats people as disposable, we could find success by taking the opposite approach. That’s what we have done and it has served us well. As CFO I have navigated us through the death of our company’s original owner, the recession of 2008, and the current pandemic.

While a PAUSD parent, I have served on PAUSD’s Equity Committee, provided academic support to low-income children at the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto, and volunteered for six years in classrooms throughout the Ravenswood City School District, primarily providing one-on-one reading support to children in first, second, and third grades. 

My priorities are student mental wellness, educational equity, and principled budgeting. Mental wellness and educational equity were already urgent issues in our district before COVID and the pandemic and school closures are only exacerbating them. They are systemic problems embedded in the culture and climate of our district. We must both envision and treat them as such in order to begin to change them.

Kids are funny and smart and strong and kind and wise. Their capacity is limitless. And they deserve schools that make them believe all these things about themselves. By many metrics, PAUSD leads the nation in public education. I believe we can be even better. I believe we can be the gold standard in providing all students with an education that is academically enriching, equitably delivered, and fosters the mental wellness and resiliency they need in order to thrive.

COVID-19 poses unprecedented challenges for all of us. We are all anxious and scared 

My immediate concern for PAUSD students is keeping them engaged academically and nurtured emotionally. They need us to come together and do the work necessary to bring them through to the other side of this pandemic, thriving and excited about life and learning.

My driving focus on the School Board will be to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure that every child in our district receives the education they deserve: one that is academically rigorous, equitably delivered, and fosters the mental wellness and resiliency they need to thrive.

School Climate and Culture as the Foundation for Mental Wellness
The isolation and emotional impact of COVID-19 and related school closures is an immediate, pressing concern which will continue when students return to campus. School culture and climate are the foundation of student mental wellness, which cannot be separated from academics. We need regular, detailed reporting on metrics around expectations, belonging, and trusted connections. An unstable foundation impedes our students’ ability to access deep, meaningful academic engagement. 

Educational Equity to Meet The Promise and Priorities of the District
Historic inequities by student demographics have persisted and deepened over time. Inequity is workshopped, lamented, yet year after year, children pay the price for the gaps in our educational equality. We must summon the humility to admit we need systemic change, and we must be innovative in the way we re envision it. As a start, we need equity audit tools and experts to help PAUSD execute on integrating equity in the classroom.

Principled Budgeting that is Accountable to Educational Priorities
As Trustee, I will use my two decades of experience in fiscal oversight and management to ensure that PAUSD’s expenditures reflect its stated priorities. Fiscal responsibility begins with clear principles and values. Metrics follow from priorities; accountability follows from metrics. I will do that work of keeping PAUSD accountable to its stated priorities. 

I'm the current President of the Palo Alto school board.  I'm also the father of three, a businessperson, and a long-time school volunteer.  My family has lived in Palo Alto since 2004 and our children all attended PAUSD schools. Professionally I have been an entrepreneur and, more recently, focused on improving education in schools across California.  My BA and MBA are from Harvard University.

Even in volatile times, we need to focus on the fundamentals - putting students first.  If re-elected I will focus on academic achievement and overall well-being for every student. You can rely on me to insist on openness, accountability, fiscal responsibility, and data-driven decision making in everything we do. I will work tirelessly to build on our tradition of excellence for all students. The issues we face will change from year to year, but my values and approach will not.

My Commitment - Palo Alto has been my home for over 25 years. Since age 14, I have been devoted to supporting community efforts by applying the values I learned as a PAUSD student from Ohlone, JLS and Paly.

My Education - As a graduate of The George Washington University, my studies focused on intersectional approaches to creating solutions in schools and communities - including how to address community disputes, discrimination, harrassment, and hate crimes.

My Skills - As a Chair within the Fund Development Council of the Junior League of San Francisco, I managed a $20,000 budget while fundraising $50,000 in a matter of months to support community partners addressing youth social and emotional health in the Bay Area.

My Values - Health. Safety. Community.
Motivated by school safety, I have led non-partisan efforts to end gun violence, as Chair within the League of Women Voters Palo Alto. I have supported efforts for healthy, sustainable school lunches.  I have assisted the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation in their efforts to create more community and family events.

My Service - The last few years I have focused extensively on serving youth and community programs in the Bay Area, many of which support members of PAUSD. EdRev Expo, Tech Trek, The Princess Project, and Canopy are some of the organizations I have volunteered with. I bring a network of community resources and nonprofits that will help us lead with a community based collaborative approach, highlighting every avenue of support.

My Preparation - pragmatism is necessary to be an effective trustee– having watched every board meeting for over a year, I have gained a clear understanding of the issues and I am ready to step into this position seamlessly.

My Priorities - Wellbeing. Equity. Student Voices.
During the pandemic our district must prioritize the physical and mental health of our students and community. Strengthening and streamlining our efforts to support those struggling while effectively communicating and amplifying student voices fostering a proactive response to problems before they arise.

My Supporters - include Susan Charles a longtime PAUSD educator, counselor, and principal, Former Democratic Federal Election Commissioner Ann Ravel, State Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (Ret.), Nancy Tung Member of the SF DCCC, and Educator and CEO Esther Wojcicki. 

My Request - I humbly ask for your vote, I would be honored to serve.

www.katiecausey.org candidatecausey@gmail.com (650) 206-9128

I work at a public  company, Cadence Design Systems, as a Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. I lead a team focused on intellectual property, litigation, employment and transactions.  I hold an Engineering Degree from Princeton University and a JD from UCLA Law School.

I have been a board member of Palo Alto Community Childcare (PACCC) since July 2017.  Last year, as Board Chair of PACCC, I focused on economic sustainability and smart fiscal planning, while balancing the issues of care for kids, teacher recruitment, and affordability.  This planning was put to the test as we responded to the pandemic. 

I live with my husband, Arne, 10 year old daughter and 7 year old son in downtown Palo Alto. Both my children attend Addison Elementary school. My husband and I both work full time,  so I understand the challenges of working parents. I love camping and have led my daughter’s Girl Scout troop camping adventures.

I grew up in Millbrae, attending all the local public schools.  My mom was a school psychologist in the San Mateo County Office of Education for over 30 years. One of my first jobs was as an Instructional Aide in Special Ed Classes. I saw the inside of some challenging classrooms.

After college, I taught computer programming in Singapore, an experience that showed me the importance of inspiring students to be intellectually curious and enjoy learning. I will strive to ensure that our school district continues to embrace a culture of lifelong learning for all students, giving them an exceptional academic foundation and the critical thinking skills to tackle life’s challenges with confidence.  

My wife and I were two kindergarten teachers when we met at a staff development day 24 years ago. I asked her for help with the new reading curriculum, and we've been together since, raising our two Mexican American children in the process. I went into administration, she remained in teaching, which may explain my gray hair. Currently, I am a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership for Social Justice program at CSU East Bay.

• Husband of Claudia Peñaloza, Spanish-English Escondido Dual Immersion teacher for the past two decades

• Parent of Matteo, Gunn High freshman, Fletcher alum

• Parent of Anaís, Escondido Elementary and Terman Middle alum, current Yale junior

• Principal, West Marin Elementary 2012-2018

• Principal, Juana Briones Elementary, 2009-2012

• Principal, Blackford Elementary, 2004-2009

• Principal, Marshall Lane Elementary, 2002-2004

• Teacher (TK, K, 1st & 2nd), 2018-2020, Bodega Bay Elementary

• Bilingual Teacher, 1992-1999

• Candidate for Marin County Superintendent of Schools, 2018

• Candidate for Tamalpais Union High School District, 2015

• Tennis Camp Instructor, Stanford Tennis Camps, 1989-1999

• Education

  • Doctoral student, Educational Leadership for Social Justice, CSU East Bay, current

  • UC Riverside, M.A., 1997

  • UC Santa Cruz B.A., 1991

• Journalist, 1983-1988

I am an educational leader with 30 years of experience, including 16 successful years as a TK-8 principal dedicated to maintaining high achievement for all students, including all of our Latino and Black students who should share in Palo Alto's success. During this current educational crisis, Palo Alto needs experienced leaders on its school board.

I also have a personal interest in this race. My son Matteo is a freshman at Gunn High, and he is serving as my campaign manager. My wife, Claudia Peñaloza, is a dual immersion teacher at Escondido Elementary, and exemplifies the talented teachers of Palo Alto. My daughter Anais (in top newspaper photo) is a junior at Yale, an alum of Escondido and Terman Middle. I am currently a grad student in the Doctorate for Educational Leadership for Social Justice program at CSU East Bay. All four of us are participating in distance learning.

My role as a board member is to advocate for all children, especially our students who are not sharing in the school success that the majority enjoys. I intend to let the staff do their jobs and focus my energies on the one employee I supervise, the superintendent.

I see that the other candidates are asking for $30,000 each. I ran a successful campaign for nothing in another county in 2015. Many Palo Alto families are actually struggling financially, so the only donation I am asking for is your vote. If you still want to donate, I encourage you to donate to some of my favorite organizations below:

--East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring program, (my wife and I both taught here 20 years ago)

--Dolores Huerta Foundation, (to honor my grandparents, Manuel and Margarita Cervantes, farmworkers who valued education)

--Daraja Academy for Girls in Kenya. (my daughter has dedicated the last six years to this cause, even visiting the Daraja students in Kenya last year)

Thank you!​

I also have a personal interest in this race. My son Matteo is a freshman at Gunn High, and he is serving as my campaign manager. My wife, Claudia Peñaloza, is a dual immersion teacher at Escondido Elementary, and exemplifies the talented teachers of Palo Alto. My daughter Anais (in top newspaper photo) is a junior at Yale, an alum of Escondido and Terman Middle. I am currently a grad student in the Doctorate for Educational Leadership for Social Justice program at CSU East Bay. All four of us are participating in distance learning.

​

My role as a board member is to advocate for all children, especially our students who are not sharing in the school success that the majority enjoys. I intend to let the staff do their jobs and focus my energies on the one employee I supervise, the superintendent.

​

I see that the other candidates are asking for $30,000 each. I ran a successful campaign for nothing in another county in 2015. Many Palo Alto families are actually struggling financially, so the only donation I am asking for is your vote. If you still want to donate, I encourage you to donate to some of my favorite organizations below:

​

--East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring program, (my wife and I both taught here 20 years ago)

--Dolores Huerta Foundation, (to honor my grandparents, Manuel and Margarita Cervantes, farmworkers who valued education)

--Daraja Academy for Girls in Kenya. (my daughter has dedicated the last six years to this cause, even visiting the Daraja students in Kenya last year)

​

Thank you!